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beginner // flatground

Backside 180

Also known as BS 180

An ollie where your body and board both rotate 180° backside. You land riding fakie.

The Backside 180 is a beginner Flatground trick. Most skaters land their first one within 2-5 weeks of consistent practice.

B

Spec

Difficulty
beginner
Complexity
Learn time
2-5 weeksⓘ
Category
Flatground
Stance
regular

Your progress

Steps

  1. 1

    Wind up frontside

    Coil your shoulders slightly toward your toes — you'll unwind backside.

    Force
    ●●○○○
    Direction
    forward
    Weight
    centered
    TipA smaller wind-up is better. Over-winding causes uncontrolled spin.
  2. 2

    Pop and spin backside

    Pop the tail, jump, and rotate your body backside. Your back will face forward first.

    Force
    ●●●●○
    Direction
    up
    Weight
    centered
    TipSpin your hips, not just your shoulders. The rotation comes from your core.
  3. 3

    Spot your landing

    As you pass 90°, look over your backside shoulder to spot where you're landing.

    Force
    ●●●○○
    Direction
    back
    Weight
    centered
    TipLosing the landing spot causes late, sketchy backside 180s.
  4. 4

    Land and roll fakie

    Put the board down at 180° and absorb the landing. Roll away fakie.

    Force
    ●●●○○
    Direction
    down
    Weight
    centered
    TipBackside 180s often have a slight nose-down landing — keep weight centered.

Common mistakes

Landing on the tail

What
You land on the tail and the nose pops up.
Why
Rotation stopped at 90°.
Fix
Trust the rotation and wait to land until you've completed the full 180°.

Snagging the heels

What
Your heels drag against the board, killing the spin.
Why
Feet aren't lifting high enough during the rotation.
Fix
Suck your feet up aggressively as you spin.

Common problems

My backside 180 undershoots — I land at 90 or less

Why
Not enough shoulder wind-up before the pop, or you're stopping the rotation too early out of reflex.
Fix
Wind your shoulders backside before popping and commit to the full rotation. Trust it — your body will get there. Closing your eyes mid-spin is the enemy.

I keep landing fakie but spinning out

Why
Landing with feet misaligned on the board causes the spin-out. Board and feet aren't committed.
Fix
Land with both feet over the bolts and bent knees to absorb. Spread your landing stance slightly wider than normal to give yourself more margin.

The board kicks out behind me on the pop

Why
You're popping at an angle instead of straight down, sending the tail backward.
Fix
Pop straight down — same as a regular ollie. The rotation comes from your body and shoulders, not from angling the pop.

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Why this works

The mechanics behind the trick

Board
Same mechanics as frontside 180, but the body rotation goes the opposite direction — your back swings around first.
Feet
As you pop and rotate backside, your front foot provides a slight guidance scoop similar to an ollie slide, adapted for the rotation.
Weight
Weight must stay centered. Backside 180s have a tendency to throw weight to the heels mid-rotation.

Frequently asked

How long does it take to learn a Backside 180?
Most skaters land their first backside 180 within 2-5 weeks of consistent practice, once you can ollie consistently.
What should I learn before the Backside 180?
The backside 180 builds on Ollie. Get that consistent first, since the backside 180 reuses the same pop, balance, or flick.
Is the Backside 180 hard to learn?
The backside 180 is a beginner trick. It gets much easier once you can already ollie.
Who invented the Backside 180?
The Backside 180 was invented by The Z-Boys in 1978 in California.

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